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Paul Keating

Paul John Keating (born 18 January 1944) is an Australian former politician who served as the 24th prime minister of Australia from 1991 to 1996, holding office as the leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). He previously served as the treasurer of Australia under Prime Minister Bob Hawke from 1983 to 1991 and as the seventh deputy prime minister of Australia from 1990 to 1991.

This article is about the prime minister of Australia. For the British actor, see Paul Keating (actor).

Paul Keating

  • Brian Howe
  • Kim Beazley

Bob Hawke

Bob Hawke

Brian Howe

Bob Hawke

Lionel Bowen

Brian Howe

Bob Hawke

John Howard

Paul John Keating

(1944-01-18) 18 January 1944
Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia
(m. 1976; div. 2008)

Julieanne Newbould (since 1998)

4

  • Trade unionist
  • Politician

Keating was born in Sydney and left school at the age of 14. He joined the Labor Party at the same age, serving a term as State President of Young Labor and working as a research assistant for a trade union. He was elected to the Australian House of Representatives at the age of 25, winning the division of Blaxland at the 1969 election. Keating briefly was Minister for Northern Australia from October to November 1975, in the final weeks of the Whitlam government. After the Dismissal removed Labor from power, he held senior portfolios in the Shadow Cabinets of Gough Whitlam and Bill Hayden. During this time he came to be seen as the leader of the Labor Right faction, and developed a reputation as a talented and fierce parliamentary performer.


After Labor's landslide victory at the 1983 election, Keating was appointed treasurer by prime minister Bob Hawke. The pair developed a powerful political partnership, overseeing significant reforms intended to liberalise and strengthen the Australian economy. These included the Prices and Incomes Accord, the float of the Australian dollar, the elimination of tariffs, the deregulation of the financial sector, achieving the first federal budget surplus in Australian history, and reform of the taxation system, including the introduction of capital gains tax, fringe benefits tax, and dividend imputation. He also became recognised for his sardonic rhetoric, as a controversial but deeply skilled orator.[1][2] Keating became deputy prime minister in 1990, but in June 1991 he resigned from the Government to unsuccessfully challenge Hawke for the leadership, believing he had reneged on the Kirribilli Agreement. He mounted a second successful challenge six months later, and became prime minister.


Keating was appointed prime minister in the aftermath of the early 1990s economic downturn, which he had famously described as "the recession we had to have". This, combined with poor opinion polling, led many to predict Labor was certain to lose the 1993 election, but Keating's government was re-elected in an upset victory. In its second term, the Keating government enacted the landmark Native Title Act to enshrine Indigenous land rights, introduced compulsory superannuation and enterprise bargaining, created a national infrastructure development program, privatised Qantas, Commonwealth Serum Laboratories and the Commonwealth Bank, established the APEC leaders' meeting, and promoted republicanism by establishing the Republic Advisory Committee.


At the 1996 election, after 13 years in office, his government suffered a landslide defeat to the Liberal–National Coalition, led by John Howard. Keating resigned as leader of the Labor Party and retired from Parliament shortly after the election, with his deputy Kim Beazley being elected unopposed to replace him. Keating has since remained active as a political commentator, whilst maintaining a broad series of business interests, including serving on the international board of the China Development Bank from 2005 to 2018.


As prime minister, Keating performed poorly in opinion polls, and in August 1993, received the lowest approval rating for any Australian prime minister since modern political polling began.[3] Since leaving office, Keating received broad praise from historians and commentators for his role in modernising the Australian economy as treasurer, although ratings of his premiership have been mixed.[4][5][6][7] Keating has been recognised across the political spectrum for his charisma, debating skills, and his willingness to boldly confront social norms,[1] including his famous Redfern Park Speech on the impact of colonisation in Australia and Aboriginal reconciliation.[8]

Early life and education[edit]

Keating was born at St Margaret's Hospital in Darlinghurst, Sydney, on 18 January 1944.[9] He was the first of four children born to Minnie (née Chapman) and Matthew John Keating. His father worked as a boilermaker for the New South Wales Government Railways.[10] All of Keating's grandparents were born in Australia. On his father's side, he was descended from Irish immigrants born in counties Galway, Roscommon, and Tipperary.[11] On his mother's side, he was of mixed English and Irish descent. His maternal grandfather, Fred Chapman, was the son of two convicts, John Chapman and Sarah Gallagher, both of whom had been transported for theft in the 1830s.[12]


Keating grew up in Bankstown, a working-class suburb in western Sydney, the family home from 1942 to 1966 being a modest fibro-and-brick bungalow at 3 Marshall Street (demolished for flat development in 2014).[13] His siblings include Anne Keating, a company director and businesswoman. Leaving De La Salle College—now known as LaSalle Catholic College—at the age of 14, Keating left high school rather than pursuing higher education, instead working as a pay clerk at the Sydney County Council's electricity distributor. Keating also attended Belmore Technical High School to further his education.[14] He then worked as research assistant for a trade union, having joined the Labor Party as soon as he was eligible. In 1966, he became president of New South Wales Young Labor.[15] During the 1960s, Keating also managed a rock band named The Ramrods.[16]

Personal life[edit]

In 1976, Keating married Annita van Iersel, a Dutch-born flight attendant for Alitalia. They had four children, who spent some of their teenage years in The Lodge, the prime minister's official residence in Canberra. The couple separated in November 1998. While they did not formally divorce until 2008, Annita had resumed her maiden name long before then. Before his marriage to van Iersel, Keating had in 1972 announced his engagement to fashion consultant Kristine Kennedy, but they did not marry.[115] Since 1998, Keating's partner has been the actress Julieanne Newbould.[116] Keating's daughter, Katherine Keating, is a former adviser to former New South Wales Minister Craig Knowles as well as former New South Wales Premier Bob Carr.


In the early 1970s, Keating moved from the family home in Bankstown when he purchased a new brick-veneer house at 12 Gerard Avenue, Condell Park, two doors up from his parents' new home at No. 8 Gerard Avenue.[117] This became the family home after his marriage in 1976 until 1983, when the Keatings sold the property for $123,000 and moved to a one-storey rental house in the Canberra suburb of Red Hill to be closer to work.[118][119][120]


Keating's interests include the music of Gustav Mahler and collecting French antique clocks.[15][121] He currently resides in Potts Point, in inner-city Sydney, and has a holiday home on the Hawkesbury River.[122][123]

Popular culture[edit]

In 2005, Keating!, a musical based on Keating's life and career, premiered at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. It went on to run until 2010, winning a number of awards and being broadcast on ABC2.[124]

First Keating Ministry

Second Keating Ministry

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Official website

. Australia's Prime Ministers. National Archives of Australia. Retrieved 14 February 2022.

"Paul Keating"

. National Museum of Australia. Archived from the original on 26 December 2011. Retrieved 29 June 2010.

"Prime Ministers of Australia: Paul Keating"

Paul Keating Insults Archive

at the National Film & Sound Archive

Paul Keating

Photo – Delivering the annual John Curtin Prime Ministerial Lecture 2009

Text – 2009 John Curtin Prime Ministerial Lecture

Painting – Paul Keating

Video of the

Redfern Address

on C-SPAN

Appearances